Claiming his Human is book 6 in The Projects series, and readers will meet many a familiar face from the previous books.

Don’t worry, though, you do not have to read the previous books in the series, unless you’d like to, of course.

*smiles*

Darius knows Holly is his from the first whiff of her scent in the air. Holly needs some convincing… especially when she finds out that the man she’s been lusting after turns into a huge grizzly bear.

Shifters defend their mates to the death…

Bear shifter Darius Longton never expected to find his mate in his favorite coffee shop, but one sniff of her scent in the air is all it takes for his bear to know the truth. This delicious, sinfully curvy redhead is his.

Too bad she’s human and far too fragile for his volatile bear.

Holly Trent cannot understand the instant attraction she feels for this man. One look from his heavy-lidded eyes is all it takes to set her knickers aflame with lust. However, she will not be another notch on his bedpost, no matter how much his voice alone makes her want to sink to her knees.

But when a customer gets heavy with her, everything changes. Darius’s defense of her places them both in terrible danger. Thrown headfirst into shifter council politics, it falls to Holly to save her mate.

Darius’s eyes flashed from golden to brown and back again, and she lost herself in the intensity of his gaze.

“Holly, what are you doing?” he asked. The gravelly timbre of his voice shot straight to every one of her erogenous zones, not least because his scent increased and wrapped her into a cocoon of his earthy, spicy presence.

“I don’t know. I just want … please … I need.”

A hiss escaped him when she lowered herself back down on his lap and ground her by now sodden crotch over his cock.

Another one of those earth-shattering deep rumbles came from the man she was dry humping like some sort of wanton hussy, and in the next instant, his large fingers dug into her hips with enough force to leave bruises. Shivers of apprehension, or excitement, she wasn’t sure which raced down her spine.

Darius lowered his head so that their foreheads touched. Their breaths mingled, and the world stood still, as she waited for him to move, to do something, anything.

She couldn’t get her voice to work past the huge lump of emotion which clogged up her throat, so she simply breached the distance between them and pressed her lips against his. His groan rumbled through her, and then he took charge of the kiss. Just like before, their surroundings faded into the background, as he deepened the kiss, and she gave herself up to the myriad of sensations that immediately assaulted her. With his hands firmly clamped around her hips, she couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but tug at the strands of his hair which had come loose from his ponytail. The action seemed to incite his bear, because he broke the kiss, and ran his nose along her neck, inhaling deeply.

“Fuck, Holly, you better be sure, because all I want to do is push those panties away and bury myself deep inside your sweet cunt until you have no doubt who you belong to.”

He yanked her up slightly while he traced one hand along her hip until he could cup her pussy.

“So fucking wet for me, little one.”

Incapable of uttering anything but incoherent moans, Holly rubbed herself against that hand.

“Oh, yeah, I can smell your need. Tell me this pussy is mine. Ask me for my cock. I need to hear you say the words, my sweet.”

His voice, full of heated promise, didn’t sound like him at all, more animal than human, and she responded to the almost desperate tones in kind.

“Just fuck me already, will you?”

A sharp tug on her hair brought tears to her eyes, and she whined her disappointment when he pulled back to study her. Try as she might she couldn’t close the distance between them.

“Ask me nicely, girl, or I’ll stop this instant.”

Holly’s flippant reply stuck in her throat when she properly looked at him because the determination edged in his hungry features told their own story. He meant what he’d said, and despite the massive erection tenting his suit trousers, which must cost him dearly, he would get up and leave her wanting. His thighs flexed under hers, and Holly swallowed hard when he released his grip on her hair and grasped her wrists instead. She was no match for his superior strength, even if she had tried to resist him, as he slowly pulled her hands away from him, and pinned them behind her back. The action thrust her breasts out at him, and her breathing sped up when his gaze slowly dipped lower until it rested on her straining cleavage. Her nipples pushed against the fabric of her lacy bra, hard little beacons of lust pointing straight at Darius, positively begging for his attention. Darius transferred both her wrists into one of his large hands and then slowly brought his free hand into view. His knuckles skimmed across the hypersensitive tips of her nipples, and Holly whimpered her need.

A wicked grin flashed across his features, and he repeated the action several times until Holly was pretty sure she would self-combust if he didn’t do something else. Incomprehensible sounds spilled from her lips, and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the sight of his large, tanned hand against her pale flesh.

“Hmm, so beautifully responsive, my sweet. I bet you could come from this alone.”

Holly gasped in fascination as one of his fingernails formed into a wicked-looking claw, and he used that lethally sharp appendage to run ever tightening circles around first one nipple and then the other until Holly thought she would scream. When he added another claw to lightly score her skin the pleasure pain acted like a livewire of electricity connected her clit to her boobs.

Her hips took on a life of their own, and her pussy muscles clenched and released desperate for his cock to fill her.

“Please, I need to … please, Sir, I want your cock.”

The words were out of her mouth before her brain had even cottoned on to what she was saying. Darius stilled, his eyes flashed fire at her, and for the first time since she’d initiated this, a trickle of fear snaked up her spine. Not enough for her to put a stop to this, whatever this insanity which seemed to hold her in its grip would amount to, but enough to make her already far too fast heartbeat turn into a sledgehammer inside her chest.

Her vision dimmed, and all reasoning fled her brain in a puff of smoke because Darius looked more animal than human. He looked as though he wanted to eat her alive, and before she could even fathom his intention, her hands were free. The audible rip of her knickers giving way, as he tore them off her sounded far too loud in the quiet room, and then his fingers slipped inside her pussy and she groaned in need. Her head fell forward on his shoulders, even as she instinctively spread her thighs wider apart to give his questing digits better access.

“You’re so fucking wet, my sweet. Come for me, baby.”

~~~~

About Doris:

Doris is a writer of sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, Time Travel, Sci-fi, BDSM, F/F, M/M, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.

Happily married for the last twenty-five years, she lives with her husband and their brood of nine in a far too small house filled with love, laughter, and chaos.

Blurb:
Rebecca Washington is a girl in control. Well, at least when it comes to acing her college classes. The rest of the time, she seems to be at the mercy of everyone else. Like when she’s dumped in front of her peers, hit on right afterwards by a jerk for some stupid bet, and then paired up with the jerk for a lit project.

In order to maintain her perfect GPA, Rebecca will need to give a stellar presentation while ignoring the prying eyes that will be staring at her. When her partner, Derek, starts to ease her fears of public speaking with his laidback attitude, she’s forced to confront her new feelings about him and his charming smile. Rebecca knows falling for a guy who teases her for being a prudish nerd can only end badly, but what if it’s just another thing out of her control?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Snippet:

Derek grinned. “What do you think about your ex’s girlfriend?”

“Obviously that she’s annoyingly beautiful and, apparently, fun.” The word left a bad taste in her mouth.

“I could say the same about you right now.”

Rebecca felt her face redden even more. She pushed her bangs behind her ear, trying to find something else to stare at other than Derek’s mischievous eyes. Nothing seemed worthy.

“I know we’ve been doing well with the whole friends’ thing,” Derek started.

Rebecca cocked an eyebrow. “What now? Are you going to make fun of me?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said. “I was just wondering if, as a friend, I’m allowed to ask you to dance.”

She let out a choking laugh. “Here? We’re at a party.”

He gestured to the several groups of people who were dancing. “People dance at parties.”

“I don’t think we should.”

“Because you don’t want to, or because you don’t want to draw attention to yourself?”

“Maybe the latter,” Rebecca mumbled to the ground.

Derek took her hand, pulling her to the center of the living room. At first, their position terrified Rebecca, until she realized it was the most popular dancing spot. In the crowd, she felt shielded from prying eyes, like it was just the two of them.

There’d been times, when Rebecca was home alone and listening to music, where she’d danced. But she had never done so in a public setting or with someone else, and in heels too. She bit her lip nervously as Derek guided her hands around his neck.

“Relax,” he muttered. “It’s just a dance.”

His statement didn’t reassure her at all. Her heart beat faster as she realized that she could feel every inch of him. They were so close. Her head was practically resting on his shoulder, and her body was pressed firmly against his.

The feel of his hands on her waist made her shiver, her crop top inching up slightly as they began to move. Rebecca tried to focus on the beat, but it was really no use. Her fingers clasped together as she mentally reminded herself that playing with Derek’s hair was not a friendly thing to do—even if it looked really soft.

They swayed together, his hands staying rigidly in place. Rebecca wondered what he was thinking about and why he’d decided to dance with her, but it was no use. Derek was likely someone she’d never fully understand.

The song switched to something with a faster pace and erratic rhythm, but Rebecca hardly noticed. Derek moved a hand away from her hip, leaving Rebecca feeling a little colder, until he used it to brush a piece of her fallen bangs behind her ear.

She had no idea how her legs and hips were still moving because, on the inside, Rebecca was totally, completely still. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his breath on her neck. Every single one of her nerves were on fire, zapping around in her body like lightening. Rebecca had never felt more alive … or scared.

One of her hands drifted down to Derek’s chest, and she pressed against it. She hoped that he’d know she was trying to get away, but he only pulled her closer to him. Rebecca let out a gasp, clutching his neck and shoulder tightly.

“Are you having fun?” he asked softly.

Rebecca nodded once, unable to muster up anything coherent. Her brain was shutting down, and she wished it was from embarrassment or anger. No, this was something entirely different. So often Rebecca felt like two-halves of her were always in disagreement, but now, every part of her felt the same. She didn’t want him to let go.

About The Author:
Jordan S Gray is a full time mother, college student, and writer. She never did quite grow out of that emo stage, and considers coffee, punk music, and Taylor Swift to be the necessary fuel for her writing. PRUDE is her debut novel, and you can find her on Twitter @JordanStephanie where she procrastinates most of her adult responsibilities and all of her schoolwork.

I have to admit, I was a little worried when writing this story. Why? Well, the hero is older and the heroine is younger. Some people are totally cool with that, but some are not. Also, the hero doesn’t have the typical six-pack abs. Nope. He has a beer belly. I could have changed either or both of those things, but ultimately, I wrote the story I wanted to write and the characters the way I envisioned them. I hope readers will give the beer-bellied hero a chance!

Alpha Revealed

Fated Foxes, Book 2

Kaylee is a fox shifter and free spirit always on the hunt for her next adventure in fun. When her carelessness puts her in mortal danger, she runs for her life. Just as she almost gives up hope, an unexpected savior in the form of a handsome older man comes to her rescue.

Jeb is a country boy who owns a market in a small town and has a fondness for strays. When he finds an injured fox, he instantly wants to help her. When it seems as though the fox understands his comforting words, he wonders if his mind is playing tricks on him or if there is something special about her.

When Kaylee is forced to reveal her true self, undeniable sparks fly between them even though Jeb tries to keep his lustful urges at bay. But when the danger returns to haunt her and threatens to rip them apart, will they overcome or admit defeat?

Snippet

Kaylee stretched her fox legs and immediately regretted it. The sharp pain in her stomach was like a punch in the face, memories flooding in. She felt the knife sinking into her all over again. What a psycho bastard. Okay, she could totally understand his shock, but to stab her… She sure knew how to pick them.

She tried to get up, but it hurt, the stitches pulling, and she was afraid to pop one. Dammit. She had to pee. Considering she was in a strange man’s bed, she probably ought to be frightened, but she wasn’t. He’d been so kind and caring. As soon as he’d spoken to her, she’d felt in her bones he wouldn’t hurt her. And she couldn’t deny he was pretty hot for an older guy.

She tried again to get up. Crap. She really didn’t want to pee in the man’s bed. How embarrassing and gross. She let out a series of yips and hoped for the best.

There was a scratching at the door and an excited bark. Oh, no. In her experience, dogs weren’t exactly fond of her kind, especially not in shifted form.

“Back, Hobo,” she heard a voice say. He knocked and said, “Comin’ in.”

The door opened slowly. Her body tensed as the dog ran in and jumped on the bed next to her.

“Hobo! No!”

The dog licked her behind the ears and she breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t sense any aggression.

“Get down. Now,” the man said again in a stern voice as he rushed to her side. The dog hung his head but obeyed and trotted out of the room.

“Sorry about that. He’s used to, uh, your kind. Doesn’t mean any harm. You feelin’ okay? I have some painkillers that should work for ya.”

Why did he keep talking to a fox as if it were human? Not that she minded, but it seemed odd. Maybe he was a bit of a nutcase in addition to being a nice guy. She had more urgent matters to deal with at that moment though, so she whimpered. He had a dog. Surely he would figure out that foxes had to pee too.

He bent over her and inspected her wound. “Looks good. Much better than last night.” He looked her right in the eyes. “Bet you’re hungry. I’ll go get ya a plate.”

She panicked when he turned to leave. Sure, she was hungry, but she had to get to a bathroom. Fast. She whimpered louder this time.

He spun around, concern shone in his eyes. “I’m sorry I don’t speak fox, but if you can shift and talk to me, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

Her eyes bugged. Did he say “shift”? He knew? He couldn’t. It wasn’t possible. Was it? His scent was human, and he said he didn’t speak fox so what the hell was he talking about?

“Maybe ya can’t shift,” he said more to himself than to her. “I’ll call my friend. He’s like you. He’ll be able to understand.”

He had a shifter friend? Well, that explained it, but she’d never known any shifters who shared their secret with humans. How long would it take the friend to get there? If it was more than sixty seconds, she was definitely going to embarrass herself. When he turned to leave again, she shifted.

“Wait,” she pleaded and tried not to freak that she’d just shifted in the presence of a human. Again.

When he turned back around, his mouth dropped open, his eyes practically bugging out of his head. “Jesus Christ Almighty,” he muttered before covering his eyes with a large hand.

DARK REDEMPTION

by Sarah Marsh

SYNOPSIS:

Sofia Boon was ready to make changes in her life, but she didn’t see this coming…Taking a chance, she finds the nerve to ask out her handsome neighbor, but when he doesn’t show up for their date, Sofia knocks on his door and meets a man claiming to be his roommate, and she soon realizes she’s made a horrible mistake.

Eitan Kent is a tortured man, haunted by a death he was unable to prevent…

Eitan believes he is unworthy of being loved. He buries himself in his work and takes a job to track down a wanted criminal, Ben Donovan. He locates Donovan’s apartment, but finds it empty—until Donovan’s “date” shows up.

Eitan doesn’t know what to make of sweet, curvy Sofia, but she’s the only lead he has…

Feeling he has no choice, Eitan decides to take her with him to see if she can somehow lead him to Donovan before it’s too late—or if her innocence is all an act and she’s involved in the bastard’s crimes.

Sofia is terrified and tries to explain to the dark stranger that she barely knows her neighbor and has no idea how to track him down, but Eitan knows exactly how to get the truth from her. Who knew a little torture could be so sweet?

NOW AVAILABLE!!

Excerpt:

That rat bastard! She thought as she watched him stroll out of the room just as though nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t just gotten her so turned on that she thought she’d spontaneously combust and then just…left.

Sofia didn’t think about what she would have done if he’d tried to have sex with her. That would just ruin the fury she was currently riding. She should be relieved he hadn’t tried to force her. She should have been, logically speaking, but she had to admit to herself her overheated body was ready to beg for release and that her traitorous hormones were killing the rational part of her brain. Sofia knew it was crazy, but all she could think about right now was that the most satisfying way to get some relief was under her sexy captor. It was an issue that only got worse as he walked back into the room with a tray of food and all that beautiful, tanned bare skin.

“Here, let me help you sit up so you can eat,” he said, putting the tray down on the nightstand and moving closer, “Or would you rather wash up and use the bathroom first?”

“Bathroom first, please,” she said immediately, thinking she could follow his lead and get some satisfaction while cleaning up.

But clearly her eagerness must have given her away because he raised one eyebrow in challenge.

“Okay, but you have ten minutes to shower, and you are not allowed to touch yourself other than to get clean―am I understood?” he said in a firm tone as he leaned forward and undid her wrists.

“You’re going to watch me?” she asked, not quite certain if she was offended or turned on at the prospect. She wondered for a second why his firm tone seemed to excite her more than it should have.

“Do you want me to watch you?” he whispered low next to her ear, causing awareness to spread through her entire body.

Sofia was a little breathless at the thought of putting on the same show for him as he did for her, but in the end, her pride won out over the wanton need she felt inside.

“No,” she barely answered, and it sounded weak even to her ears.

His deep chuckle at her answer made her nipples peak even more, and she was almost disappointed when he leaned back and pushed the timer on his watch.

“You’ve got ten minutes, Sofia. Then I come in and get you.”

Sofia had never used the washroom and showered so fast in all her life, she got done with barely a minute to spare as she put her bra and underwear back on and then wrapped herself in a big fluffy towel before she walked back out into the room.

“You can keep the towel until you’ve eaten, then it’s off,” he said once he saw her.

She’d take that small win, and she took her sweet ass time eating as well until he finally took the tray away after she’d spent five minutes chewing a single piece of melon.

“Now are you going to make this difficult on both of us or are you going to behave?” he said as he motioned toward the wrist cuffs once again.

She thought about it, but there was nothing she could do against his superior strength, so she begrudgingly laid back against the padded headboard and raised her wrists.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked quietly. “I told you everything I know already.”

“Well, I’ll see about that soon enough, won’t I?” was all he said in reply as he fastened the cuffs and picked up the tray before he left the room.

****

By the time Eitan had gotten the kitchen cleaned up from breakfast and returned to the bedroom, he was already half hard from replaying how she’d looked watching him come in the shower. He thought about putting on a pair of jeans, but why bother? He certainly wasn’t ashamed for her to see how she affected him and she sure as hell didn’t seem to be put off by his body, so he may as well use that to his advantage, right?

“Ready for the ankle cuffs?” he asked as he entered the room.

He saw her swallow hard and move her legs tighter together.

“Why do you have to?” she asked with a worried look. “Are you going to touch me?”

“Of course I don’t want you to touch me!” she answered, clearly trying to sound offended that he’d suggest such a thing, “I don’t even know your name!”

“Well, that’s easy enough to remedy,” he said as he placed one knee on the bed and pulled up the first ankle cuff. “My name is Eitan. Now give me your leg, Sofia.”

He could tell she was surprised he’d given her his name, and to be truthful, he was a bit surprised by that himself. But the more he thought about his name on her lips as she moaned her pleasure, the harder his cock got. He was doing all sorts of things with this little captive that seemed to be breaking his rules, and Eitan wasn’t sure he really cared.

When she tentatively placed her little foot in his hand, he quickly attached the cuff and then slowly ran his fingers over the softness of her skin. Clearly she waxed her legs as the skin was still supple and hair free. That thought made him more aware of the noticeably smooth skin under those pretty purple panties, and his mouth watered as he imagined how soft it would feel under his tongue. As he fastened the second cuff and her legs moved further apart, it was all he could do not to crawl up her body and relieve her of those panties just as he’d fantasized about doing in the shower this morning. It was then that he finally had to admit to himself that this interrogation was probably going to be more difficult for him than it was going to be for her…because his self-control was already bucking to be let loose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR — Sarah Marsh

Sarah Marsh was born in British Columbia where she still lives, she has only recently began her writing career finding it the perfect outlet for taking the edge off a nine to five office job. She’s been a science fiction and romance junkie for years and when her imagination started to take the characters she’d read about even further in their adventures she decided to try writing something of her own.

Sarah’s also a former pastry chef and spends a lot of time cooking and baking for friends and family as well as painting and knitting. Her biggest weaknesses are animals of any kind…she even loves the ones that wake you up at four in the morning because they can almost see the bottom of their food dish.

When it comes to life in general she’s a big believer that laughter is the best medicine and that there’s no such thing as too much love, which is why she’s such a sucker for a happy ending.

In the second of the stories that take place in and surrounding the sex club, Candy Apple, handsome Jake watches Ellie from across the room.
Week after week he longs to touch and kiss her, but holds back until he can’t wait one more moment.

Ellie has needs to fill…the trouble is they just might drive Jake away.

I got the inspiration for the Candy Apple from a building I pass on the outskirts of a city I often have to visit with my employment.

The building is semi derelict and the upstairs windows are boarded up, but if you pass on foot, you can see into the ground floor where a corner of the paper that covers the window has bent and peeled away. I’m naughty enough to stand on tiptoe and stare into the place regardless of people passing behind me on the sidewalk and staring at me LOL

The building is as I describe in the story, but the lights are all busted and the striped awning hangs away from the porch and flaps in the breeze.

The room I could see inside was very long, reaching far back into the gloom. It was still opulent, like a stateroom. It had a huge staircase curving around the middle of the room. The outside steps lead to a room above the one I can see into and I’d love to see into it, since I can’t I had to imagine what might be like.

I often get story ideas from places and buildings, especially old or mysterious looking ones. Sometimes I imagine what they might have looked like or been used for and that’s when the setting for the story cements in my mind.

a romance, contemporary, erotic, with a twist of darkness and suspense and naturally
Elodie’s must have HEA

Jake’s a member of an elite club, the Candy Apple. Years ago, it used to be a gentlemen’s club, but now it caters for other needs. When he first sees Ellie sitting alone at one of the tables near the dance floor, he makes it his business to find out about her.

Jake’s enchanted by Ellie. He wants to give her what she needs.

Ellie takes him up on the offer.

The trouble is, Ellie’s needs will shock Jake and set him on a quest to find her, when after a night of passion and rescue, she slips away into the night.

Finding Love–a contemporary, erotic romance/suspense with a twist of darkness and an HEA.

What would you do to find love?

Finding Love: Incident at the Candy Apple

Read an excerpt

Ellie’s heart pounded as Jake pulled her over his knee. She’d been secretly watching him for weeks and now she was exactly where she’d hoped to be. His strong thighs under her stomach felt so good that her pussy pulsed, drenching between her upper thighs. He’s gorgeous, gentle, and so sexy—what a pity…

He stroked her ass and down between her thighs sending a trail of delicious sensation up and down her legs. He feathered soft touches over the folds of her creaming entrance until she writhed back onto his hand wanting his fingers inside her.

Jake’s murmur of appreciation gave her a shiver.

He slid a finger into her pussy and at the same time kissed her neck as he bent over her.

A low moan escaped her. The double pleasure sent her pulse racing and her thoughts receding. She ground against his palm, using the bench as leverage where she could reach with one hand. She was pure sensation.

His finger slipped from her. He pushed his hand under her and grasped her mound. He held her tight as he licked and teased with kisses along her ear, and neck.

Ellie pressed to him for more of the tingles that shot down her body. She groaned as his thumb pressed on her clit and sent a huge throb of sexual need through it.

In a gentle movement, he lifted her and brought her to sit on his lap.

His face against hers, she breathed in the light citrus scent of his cologne. She rubbed her cheek against his and shifted her head to find his delicious mouth for kisses.

He whispered as she moved. “Tell me what you like. I want to give it to you.”

She nudged his nose with hers. The way he held her waist just about drove her crazy. “I want your fingers in me. I’m so desperate to come now I can’t think straight.”

He kissed her lips softly, lingering so sexily, she moaned. The kiss fueled her desire and she grabbed his head to kiss him hungrily. She broke contact to breathe, gulping in air as she realized just how much she wanted him.

Following on from the bestselling novel, Another Cup of Coffee, and the seasonal Christmas novellas Another Cup of Christmas, Christmas in the Cotswolds, and Christmas at the Castle, Jenny Kane brings you the final instalment in the Pickwicks Coffee House adventures.

Blurb

A warm-hearted, contemporary tale about a group of friends living in a small corner of busy London, by bestselling author Jenny Kane.

Fortysomething Amy is shocked and delighted to discover she s expecting a baby not to mention terrified! Amy wants best friend Jack to be godfather, but he hasn’t been heard from in months. When Jack finally reappears, he s full of good intentions but his new business plan could spell disaster for the beloved Pickwicks Coffee Shop, and ruin a number of old friendships…

Meanwhile his love life is as complicated as ever and yet when he swears off men for good, Jack meets someone who makes him rethink his priorities…but is it too late for a fresh start?

Author Kit has problems of her own: just when her career has started to take off, she finds herself unable to write and there s a deadline looming, plus two headstrong kids to see through their difficult teenage years…will she be able to cope?

‘My goodness, woman, you look like the proverbial beached whale!’ Amy grinned at the teasing smile on her former boss’s face.

‘Thanks, Peggy. I know I can rely on you to be ready with a huge compliment!’

‘Huge is the word, and you are more than welcome!’ Taking advantage of a lull in custom, Peggy followed Amy to where Kit was working, and pulled out a chair for her friend before sitting down herself. ‘So how long have you got to go now?’

‘Only two months, which is nothing like as long as I need to get ready, or even get my head around what’s happening to me! I have far too much to do before the baby comes, although we’ve almost finished decorating the nursery at last. I haven’t even managed to find anyone to cover my job at Home Hunters yet.’

Amy thanked Megan, Pickwicks’ chief waitress, as she delivered a tray of drinks and half a huge carrot cake for the three friends, before asking Kit, ‘I don’t suppose that lovely husband of yours fancies coming back to the business while I’m on maternity leave?’

Kit shook her head. ‘Not a hope. It did cross my mind after Phil gave up running Home Hunters that he might have withdrawal symptoms and want to go back, but he took to running the bookshop like a duck to water. I can’t see him ever going back. And he wouldn’t have the time, to be honest. Did I tell you that they’re so busy now, he and Rob have employed a guy to help them with their new educational courses at Kew?’

Amy beamed. ‘No, you didn’t. That’s fantastic! I bet Jack would be thrilled for them if he was here.’ Suddenly pensive, she picked up her cup, ‘I don’t suppose either of you have heard from Jack?’

Peggy shook her head as Kit said, ‘Not a word. I thought he’d keep in touch with you though, Amy, even if he went quiet on the rest of us.’

‘Paul says he’ll turn up eventually, but I’d rather like to be able to tell Jack about this bundle,’ Amy patted her stomach, ‘before he or she stops being just a bump in my jumper. I might ask him if he wants to be godfather.’

Kit nodded. ‘Jack is godfather to the twins, and although he’s a dreadful role model on the morals front, both Thomas and Helena have always found him great fun, and say that having a gay godfather is, and I quote, “Well cool”.’

Peggy had never understood the loyalty Jack’s two ex-girlfriends felt for him considering how appallingly he’d treated them both. She certainly wouldn’t want anyone who’d stood her up on her wedding day – albeit only in the role of usher – to be a godparent to her child, but she simply asked, ‘How long has he been AWOL for?’

Amy frowned. ‘It must be more or less four years since I last saw him, and about twelve months since I last spoke to him. It’s not so much being AWOL as missing in action. How about you, Kit?’

Peggy and Amy exchanged glances as they saw Kit staring blankly into her soup bowl-sized cup of black coffee. ‘Kit? You with us?’

‘What? Oh, sorry, guys. I didn’t get much sleep last night, I phased out for a minute. What was the question?’

Peggy had noticed how distracted Kit had been lately, although instinct told her that she shouldn’t ask her friend about it yet. ‘When did you last hear from Jack, honey?’

‘I’m not sure, must be at least a year. That is very Jack though, isn’t it. I bet he’d get a kick out of the fact that we’re all back here wondering where he is and if he’s OK.’

Amy, who’d had similar thoughts herself, grimaced. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised – although I’d like to think that at his age he’s finally grown out of playing those games.’

Kit and Peggy laughed in unison. ‘No chance!’ ‘I assume he’s either still travelling around the world – or working in someone’s garden, using that horticultural qualification he got after Paul and I got married.’

‘Sounds possible, and of course,’ Kit let her inner storyteller go in a way she wished she could on paper, ‘if Jack has spent all the inheritance his grandfather left him, he could have got a job in the grounds of some posh house, had a torrid affair with the heir to the manor, and be in the middle of a society scandal.’

Amy smiled as Peggy divided the carrot cake into mountainous slices. ‘That sounds entirely possible, and I sort of hope it’s true! The boyfriend bit, I mean, rather than the scandal bit.’

Pulling her cake plate closer, Kit shrugged. ‘I’m not sure he’d risk another relationship, not after Toby hurt him like that. I suspect he’s reverted to full-on sleeping around mode.’ Realising she had sounded rather curt, she added, ‘I’d like to be wrong though. If he settled down a bit, he might come home…’

Bio:

Jenny spends a large part of her time in the cafe’s of Mid Devon, where she creates her stories, including the novels Another Glass of Champagne, (Accent Press, 2016), Abi’s House (Accent Press, June 2015), Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the best selling contemporary romance Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and the novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013), Christmas in the Cotswolds, (Accent Press, 2014), and Christmas at the Castle, (Accent Press, 2015).

Her next full length novel, Abi’s Neighbour, will be published by Accent Press in Summer 2017. She is also working on a short historical novel, which will be published in November 2016.

Jenny Kane is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s Biscuit Tin (Hushpuppy, 2015).

To get away from the pressures of work, Ava takes a last-minute cruise to the Greek islands by herself. But on the ship she runs into the coworker she despises the most, John Montgomery. Somehow he has a knack for driving her mad, and seeing him with his hot young date makes Ava feel even worse about herself. Meanwhile, sexy young steward Florian has been making passes at her, reminding her of how beautiful and alive she really is. Will Ava allow her loneliness to be chased away and desires fulfilled by a much younger man one more time?

I looked up to see Florian smiling down at me. “Oh my gosh, what are you doing here? I thought you had the day off again.”

He was wearing black shorts and a black t-shirt with the ship’s logo on it. The dark fabric made his own natural coloring stand out even more. He sat down on the edge of my lounger near my hip, seeming pleased I’d noticed his absence.

“Normally I would have the day off, but a friend of mine is sick and I’m covering his shift.” His eyes swept over my body as he spoke, and the glint of appreciation I saw in them made me feel good.

“Thanks again for your company yesterday,” I said in a low voice.

He smiled. “My pleasure.”

The tone of our simple words exchanged even more meaning between us. Having been single for so long I’d become a master of deciphering tone, and his was telling me he’d had the time of his life. He was so damn cute.

“So what can I get you? You look thirsty, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I left you that way.” He was leaning toward me, his small round tray forgotten on the deck beside him.

I put an arm underneath my head and removed my sunglasses so I could make better eye contact. “What would you recommend?” My suggestive tone made his eyebrows rise and his cheeks dimple in pleasure.

Even though he was young and a member of the staff, I allowed myself to respond to his attentions. The pang of loneliness I felt at seeing John and Kim together reared its ugly head. What was wrong with getting a little attention? Why not have some fun on this trip? People flirted with each other all the time. And it was my turn to throw off my conservative chains and flex my sexy muscle.

He frowned as though deep in thought, considering the question. Then he exhaled and pointed at me. “You look like the kind of woman who enjoys not only fine wine but great gin as well. Our bartender makes a cocktail I think you would like. Not too sweet and just the right amount of tartness to it.” He said it the way car aficionados described legendary Porsches. I knew right away he was talking about himself.

He had it right on the nose. That was exactly my style. “I’ll give it a try.” My hand was on the chair next to his leg, and I fingered the bare, firm flesh of his thigh. I blamed my earlier glass of champagne for my loosened inhibitions. I sat forward and leaned in close to him. “Maybe the next time you’re off, we can hang out again.”

His eyes widened with pleasure. He opened his mouth to say something, but someone else cut in.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to see if I could order a couple of drinks.”

I turned my head to see John Montgomery standing behind my chair. From the amused look on his face, he’d heard everything I said. Mortification laced through me.

Florian jumped up. “Of course.”

John gave him his order, and Florian went to the bar. Then it was just John and me.

“Having fun, Ava?” He lifted a brow.

His eyes were hidden under the dark sunglasses he wore, but I got the meaning, the bastard. He was trying to embarrass me for flirting with Florian. I huffed at him and opened my magazine again, refusing to take the bait.

He tried again. “He’s a little young for you, isn’t he?”

“Hm. I think he’s the same age as Kim actually. If you don’t think that’s too young then I certainly don’t.” I allowed the sweet sound of disdain to roll off my lips, then I flipped over onto my stomach, excusing him.

He gave a soft chuckle. But he got the hint because he walked away.

About the Author:

Restless by nature, Jewel Quinlan is an avid traveler and has visited 16 countries so far. Lover of ice cream, beer, and red wine she tries to stay fit when she’s not typing madly on her computer concocting another tale. In her spare time, she likes to do yoga, hike, learn German and play with her spoiled Chihuahua; Penny.